Sure, there are already hundreds of places that you probably want to visit. There’s the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Big Ben in London (temporarily closed for reconstruction), the canals of Amsterdam, the Taj Mahal in Agra, etc. There’s already so many places and so little time. However, if you really want to go to somewhere that’s a little more special, here are 10 of the most extraordinary places to visit around the world.
Chernobyl, Ukraine
After the nuclear disaster that happened in Chernobyl, the town was evacuated and nobody (almost nobody) has lived there ever since. You can see apartments, schools, and playgrounds that have been left, untouched, for decades. Now, of course, there have been instances of tour agencies placing “props” in abandoned buildings for effect, so be careful when choosing your tour guide to make sure you get a genuine tour and get to see how things really are. And don’t worry — it’s perfectly safe. The amount of radiation in the air in Chernobyl should not cause you any harm. It is safe to stay in the area for up to a week without causing any major damage to your body.
Tomb of the Qin Shi Huang, China
This place will give anyone goosebumps. It’s so big and majestic. It took over 38 years to be completed. It is huge. And the Terracota Warriors (pictured above) are just a part of the site, which has actually not been fully excavated yet. There are over seven thousand warriors, each different from the other.
Kawaii Monster Cafe, Tokyo
While not nearly as historical as the Tomb of the Qin Shi or as creepy as Chernobyl, the Kawaii Monster Cafe will definitely be an extremely memorable stop on your trip to Tokyo. It is incredibly bright, incredibly colorful, and has delicious cakes and sodas. Each dish you order comes with some special decorative (and often edible) element that adds color to the dish. This makes absolutely everything in the Kawaii Monster Cafe become either figuratively or literally “eye candy”.
Hobbit Village, New Zealand
You’ve seen Lord of the Rings. You’ve seen the Hobbit. You know that the tiny hobbit creatures lived in tiny homes inside hillsides. But what if you could magically be transported into their little Hobbit Village? Well, you can! The actual homes that were built for the set of the Lord of the Rings movies are still there, and you can experience what it’s like to be a hobbit on your own! And, unlike the Harry Potter tours — the homes are absolutely genuine and can be lived in!
Dracula’s Castle, Romania
Did you know that Dracula’s Castle was actually on sale quiet recently? Well, it was. You could have owned the castle for just $80 million. The castle’s real name is Bran Castle, and it was first built in 1212. The castle gets its name from its owner, Vlad III Dracula or “Vlad the Impaler” who was infamous for having the bodies of his enemies and citizens impaled on large spikes around his territory.
Thor’s Well, Oregon (USA)
On one hand, on a windless day this little bit of rock isn’t anything special, but during rougher weather conditions, Thor’s Well becomes a gaping sinkhole that later shoots water up into the air with great force. Although it’s a jaw dropping sight, for your own safety I recommend observing this wonder of nature from a safe distance.
Lake Hillier, Western Australia
You might not be a fan of pink, but when you see this lake there’s no chance it won’t become one of the most memorable events of your life. This lake was discovered in 1802 and is notable because it is pink all year. The cause of this freak accident is probably salt-loving algae and pink bacteria known as halo bacteria. The high density of salt in the water makes it a perfect habitat for these to species, and therefore we now have a pink lake in the middle of an island off the cost of Australia’s Recherche Archipelago.
The Hand in the Desert, Chile
Although not as ancient as the Tomb of Qin Shi or as natural as Lake Hillier or Thor’s Well, this giant sculpture of a hand in the sand is a landmark in the middle of Chile’s Atacama desert. The hand is located 46 miles south of the nearest city and was created by Mario Irarrázabal, who also sculpted another giant hand on the Brava Beach of Punta del Este (Uruguay). Although the beach hand might be more accessible, seeing it in the desert is a completely different and significantly more memorable experience.
Red Beach, Panjin, China
This entire beach is covered in Sueda, which is a type of seaweed which turns bright red in the autumn (like leaves). The beach is usually not open for tourists because it is an important part of a nature reserve for migrating birds. However, a small section of the Red Beach of Panjin (actually 30km away from Panjin) is available for tourists, who can use a long wooden walkway to walk across the beach.
Cat Island, Japan
If you love cat’s, there’s probably not a single area in the world where the cat-per-square-meter ratio is so high. The island of Tashirojima has a population of just 100 people and nearly 1000 cats. Originally the cats were brought and bred on the island to protect silkworms from mice. However, soon the large population of un-neutered cats got out of control, and now we have an island on our incredible planet where the cat population outnumbers the human population 10:1. There are no dogs on the island.
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